The French national team, two-time champions, began their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign with a modest win, defeating Austria 1-0 due to an own goal in the first round of Group D on Monday in Düsseldorf. The only goal of the match came accidentally from Austrian player Maximilian Wöber’s header (38th minute). In the same group, the Netherlands struggled to defeat Poland 2-1 on Sunday. Coach Didier Deschamps, who has been at the helm of the "Roosters" for 12 years and has led them to victory in the 2018 World Cup, the final of Euro 2016, and the final of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, started William Saliba in defense alongside Dayot Upamecano, while relying on N'Golo Kanté from Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad in midfield. The Austrian team, led by experienced German coach Ralf Rangnick, adopted a cautious approach with a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The French goal came in an unusual manner when Mbappé penetrated the box and delivered a cross, but Wöber inadvertently redirected it with his head into his own net (38). Mbappé missed a golden opportunity to score his first goal in the continental tournament when he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper Pentz, but he shot wide (55). Mbappé suffered a serious injury to his nose while attempting to head the ball and collided with defender Kevin Danso (86), prompting Deschamps to request a substitution. However, while being attended to by the medical staff outside the field, he returned to the pitch and sat down to stop the game and allow for the substitution, receiving a yellow card from the referee for wasting time intentionally.
France will face the Netherlands in a fiery clash on Friday in Leipzig, while Austria will take on Poland on the same day in Berlin.
